LRT journalism wins three prestigious Paparazzi media awards

Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT received three honours at this year’s Paparazzi media forum, recognising its investigative reporting, defence of press freedom, and a century-long legacy in radio broadcasting, organisers announced on Saturday.

The awards were presented during the annual Paparazzi 2026 event in Vilnius, marking Press Restoration Day and organised for the 21st time by communications agency Publicum. According to the agency’s founder and director, Ričardas Jarmalavičius, Lithuanian journalism demonstrated particular strength over the past year in systematically scrutinising power, financial flows, and influence.

LRT was awarded the Freedom Prize for its role in defending press freedom amid political pressures. Jarmalavičius noted that recent political manoeuvring around LRT and an unprecedented rallying of the journalistic community had underscored that press freedom “cannot be taken for granted—it must be protected every day.”

The broadcaster’s Investigations Unit received the Transparency Award for exposing high-impact stories, including Russian intelligence operations, undeclared cash linked to the Nemuno aušra account, political corruption in waste management scandals, and flaws in financial guarantee schemes.

LRT Radio, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, was honoured with the Voice of the Century Award. Jarmalavičius described the station as “a witness to Lithuanian history, a chronicler of society, and a daily source of information since 1926.”